Your communication and interviewing skills matter as much as your experience and competence as a tech talent. Your skills and experience might get you through the door of that dream job you want, but having a successful interview with your recruiters might just seal the deal. The interview is the point where you impress your potential employers with your capabilities and work ethics. Chances are you will encounter several other candidates competing with you to also get the job. You need to stand out from the crowd and prepare for a successful interview.
An interview is an opportunity to show your personality. More reasons why you need to bring your A-game and communicate your skills efficiently and effectively. If you fail to prepare ahead of time, then a successful interview could be just as stressful as an unsuccessful one. Follow these tips so that you don’t end up panicking during your next in-person meeting with a hiring manager:
- Be Prepared to Answer Questions
Most interview processes have a question-and-answer format. So, to successfully prepare for an interview, you have to be prepared to answer a bunch of questions. If you’re interviewing for a software developer role, then you will likely be asked questions about your experience and what you’re hoping to accomplish with your new role at the company.
Keep in the back of your mind that there is no right or wrong way to answer interview questions. Your answer should always reflect your knowledge and experience. The best way to do this is by using your background information to help you answer the questions about your skills and experience. As long as you’re honest and you don’t try to fake it, your interviewers will appreciate that you’ve done your research and are confident in your abilities to do the job.
Be prepared to delve into your motivation and how the role fits into your overall career goals. It’s also a good idea to have a few examples of past work at the ready to refresh your memory if you’ve been away from the job hunt for a while. You can also look for interview questions online to get a sense of which topics are likely to be on the table. For the best results, try to re-read the questions before your interview so that you don’t forget any essential details.
- Research the Company
This is one of the most important things you should do before sitting in for an interview. Before the day of an interview, make sure you have done your research on the organization. Make sure you’ve got all of your questions answered ahead of time too. Doing your research before the interview shows initiative and will help you familiarize yourself with the company that you might soon be a part of. Unless you’re interviewing for a role that involves extensive research, you probably won’t have to dive into extensive company research at your interview. However, it’s a good idea to brush up on the basics about the company for which you’re interviewing. In addition to the company name and address, you should try to find out:
What is the company’s mission?
How is the company’s product or service relevant to your interests or objectives?
What problems does the company solve?
Who are the key stakeholders?
Look up articles or web pages that are written about the company, read reviews or customer feedback that other people have left, and try to get a sense of what the company stands for. This will help you to get a better idea of what the company values are and how they may differ from your values. It will also give you an idea of what kind of challenges and solutions you can bring to the table if the interview is successful and you become a part of their team.
- Practice for the interview
This is the point where you kill the urge to be a badass and go in for the interview without practising or studying. It is advisable to prepare and practice for any interview you have. If you want to ace your interview as a tech talent, you should practice answers to difficult questions, know how to greet the hiring team and also how to introduce yourself when you are asked to. Nothing beats the kind of confidence you exhibit when you are well prepared for an interview. Not preparing will make you nervous and if you’re nervous, you are more likely to make mistakes that will cost you points with the interviewer.
- Don’t be Afraid to Ask Questions
Before you go on your interview, make a list of questions you will like to ask your interviewer. Not only does asking questions help to improve a positive dialogue between you and the hiring team you will also be able to have a hint of what will be expected of you if you are successful in the interview. Before you head out to meet with hiring managers, make sure you’ve written out a list of questions to ask them. These set of questions should revolve around: What questions can you ask to learn more about the company and the position? What questions can you ask to learn more about the job itself? Some of the most important questions you need to ask might also include:
What is the timeline for this position?
What is the company culture like?
What are the company’s values?
What are some of the challenges that you’re currently facing?
What can you tell me about the employees who currently occupy the position that I’m interviewing for?
What are some of the perks of working here?
- Give Honest and Accurate Answers
Interviewers want to see that you are a good fit for their company and teammates. You need to show that you are capable of working as part of a team and that you’re respectful of the people that you will be working with on a day-to-day basis. If you’re asked questions like, “what do you think our company stands for?” or “what are some of our company values?”, always try to give honest and accurate answers. If you don’t know the company values or you’re not sure what your company values are, try to answer the question based on your knowledge of the business and your personal experience with the company.
- Be Prepared to Answer Questions About your Skills and Experience.
Talking about your skills and experience should be the easiest part of the interview. The key is to use your background information to answer the questions about your skills and experience. If you have experience with a specific project, mention the project name and try to describe the challenges that you faced and how you overcame them. Don’t try to undersell yourself in this aspect, list out your past experiences and how you were able to add value to your previous or current place of work. Experiences like being a manager, team lead or supervisor will be very helpful if you are applying for a senior position.
- Prepare for a Technical Interview
Unlike other professions where one interview is enough to get a job, tech talents sometimes have to face two or three interviews before getting a job. One of these multiple interviews is usually labelled a technical interview. This is an interview that focuses on your technical knowledge and experience. You might have a technical interview before you’re offered a job, or you might have one at some point in your career.
- Show your personality
This is a good way to wrap up the interview. Show your interviewer how the experiences you have gained so far align with the company’s culture. Also, show that you care about the position and that you are ready to be a part of the team. Try to tie up the conversation with a few anecdotes and examples that highlight the best parts of your personality. Remember that the person interviewing you isn’t just evaluating your skills but also getting a sense of who you are as a person.
In the final moments of the interview, you should be able to summarize the information you discussed and give your interviewer a clear picture of who you are as a person. Don’t be surprised if you get behavioural-based questions in cases like this. Your interviewer will want to get a sense of your behaviour in some specific cases. Show them that you are ready to learn even if you don’t have any experience.
It can be nerve-wracking to interview for a new job, but it’s important to stay calm and collected during the process. Make sure you are prepared with the right questions, advice and examples to help you shine during the interview process. When you are ready to step into an interview, make sure you’re prepared for what to expect with these interview tips and tricks. If you’ve been trying to find a job for a while and are feeling stuck, you may want to consider making some changes.
As a techie, you may find yourself in different types of interviews, your interview experience will depend on how prepared you are and how well you’ve prepared for interviews in the past. If you haven’t done any research on possible interview questions or prepared answers, you may be unprepared and feel nervous. However, if you’ve done your research and prepared answers, you’ll feel confident and ready. Keep in mind that these types of questions may come up in other types of interviews too. A job search is a long and challenging process, but with the right preparation, you can find success.
